Elderstab
Der Elderstab ist eines der sagenumwobenen Heiligtümer des Todes. In dem Märchen von den drei Brüdern war es das erste hergestellte Heiligtum, welches Antioch Peverell überreicht wurde, angeblich vom Tod selbst, nachdem der Zauberer als sein Kopfgeld den mächtigsten Zauberstab anforderte in der Geschichte der Zaubererschaft. Der Legende nach würde jeder, der es mit den anderen beiden Heiligtümern, dem Stein der Auferstehung und dem Unsichtbarkeitsumhang wiedervereinigte, der Meister des Todes werden. Es wird gesagt, dass er der mächtigste Zauberstab ist, der jemals existiert hat und in der Lage ist, magische Leistungen zu vollbringen, die normalerweise als unmöglich angesehen werden, wie zum Beispiel das Ausbessern von einem anderen Zauberstab, der über die normale magische Reparatur hinaus beschädigt wurde. Es ist bekannt, dass der Kern des Elderstabs das Schwanzhaar eines Thestrals ist, einer potenten und doch kniffligen Substanz, die nur von einer Hexe oder einem Zauberer gehandhabt werden kann, der in der Lage ist, den Tod zu akzeptieren, da dieser nur von solchen gesehen werden kann. JK über Thestralschwanzhaar Beschreibung Der Elderstab ist uralt und aus Holunderholz. Er ist fünfzehn Zoll lang und besitzt einen Thestralschwanzhaar-Kern, "eine heikle Substanz, die nur Zauberer, die den Tod gemeistert haben, kontrollieren können". "Der Elderstab" unter JK Rowlings offizielle Seite Der Elderstab, stärker als andere Zauberstäbe, unterscheidet sich deutlich von anderen Zauberstäben, vor allem, weil er Schnitzereien trägt, die Holunderbeerbüscheln ähneln, die über die gesamte Länge verlaufen. Geschichte Mythische Ursprünge des Elderstabs thumb|left|205px|Der Elderbaum , aus dem der Zauberstab hergestellt wurde. Gemäß "Das Märchen von den drei Brüdern" in ''Die Märchen von Beedle dem Barden reisten die drei Brüder - vermutlich Antioch, Cadmus und Ignotus Peverell - eines Tages um die Welt, als sie zu einem tückischen Fluss kamen, von dem bekannt war, dass er oft Leben von denen forderte, die versuchten, ihn zu überqueren. Die drei Brüder zogen ihre Zauberstäbe heraus und zauberten eine Brücke aus der Luft. Als sie jedoch anfingen, sie zu überqueren, stießen sie auf eine Gestalt mit Kapuze, die ihnen den Weg über die Brücke versperrte. Es war der Tod selbst, und er mochte es nicht, neue Opfer zu verlieren. thumb|145px|[[Antioch Peverell mit dem Zauberstab.]] Während er vorgab, ihnen zu ihrem Triumph zu gratulieren, plante der Tod etwas gegen sie. Er bot jedem Bruder ein Geschenk an, um den Tod auszutricksen. Der Älteste fing zuerst an und bat als kriegerischer Mann um einen Zauberstab, der alle anderen besiegen würde. Der Tod ging zum nächsten Baum und erschuf einen Zauberstab aus Elderbaumholz, den er dem ältesten Bruder gab. Der zweite Bruder, der den Tod noch weiter demütigen wollte, bat um einen Gegenstand, mit dem er die Toten zurückrufen könnte, und erhielt den Stein der Auferstehung. Der Jüngste war weiser als seine Brüder und skeptisch gegenüber den Absichten des Todes. Er bat um einen Gegenstand, der es ihm ermöglichen würde, sein Leben zu leben, ohne Angst vor Verfolgung durch den Tod zu haben. Besiegt übergab der Tod seinen eigenen Unsichtbarkeitsumhang. Antiochs Besitz frame|left|Antiochs Kehle ist durchgeschnitten Albus Dumbledore hält es für unwahrscheinlich, dass der Elderstab durch den Tod erschaffen wurde, er könnte erschafften worden sein von dem ältesten der drei Peverell-Brüder, Antioch. Nachdem Antioch einen rivalisierenden Zauberer in einem Duell getötet hatte, kurz nachdem er den Zauberstab erschaffen hatte, prahlte er betrunken mit den Kräften des Zauberstabs. Er wurde in dieser Nacht im Schlaf ermordet und ein anderer Zauberer nahm den Zauberstab in Besitz. Bekannte Besitzer Mit der Zeit durchlief der mächtige Zauberstab verschiedene Besitzer, normalerweise mit gewaltsamen Mitteln, und erhielt Namen wie der Todesstab und der Zauberstab des Schicksals. Einige der Zauberstabbesitzer sind bekannt, da seine "blutige Spur" sich "durch die Annalen der Zaubereigeschichte hinzog". Einige seiner frühen Besitzer waren Emmerich der Böse, Egbert der Ungeheuerliche, Godelot, Hereward, Barnabas Deverill und Loxias. Entweder Arcus oder Livius haben ihn möglicherweise von Loxias genommen, aber Dumbledore behauptet, dass niemand es wirklich weiß und witzelte, dass es Loxias' eigene Mutter gewesen sein könnte. Viele Besitzer wurden von ihren Nachfolgern aus Lust an der Macht getötet. Mit der Zeit erhielt die Legende die Annahme, dass Mord notwendig ist, um den Elderstab zu meistern. Emmerich der Böse Emmerich der Böse war ein kurzlebiger, aber außergewöhnlich aggressiver Zauberer. Er war der erste historisch bekannte Meister des Elderstabs nach dem Mörder von Antioch Peverell, obwohl es möglich ist, dass andere den Zauberstab vor ihm besaßen. Emmerich terrorisierte im frühen Mittelalter den Süden Englands. Er wurde in einem wilden Zweikampf gegen Egbert dem Ungeheuerlichen "geschlachtet". Egbert der Ungeheuerliche Egbert der Ungeheuerliche war einst Meister des Elderstabs, nachdem er Emmerich den Bösen in einem Duell getötet hatte (Emmerich wurde "geschlachtet"). Was aus Egbert wurde, nachdem er den Elderstab gemeistert hatte, ist unbekannt, aber es wird erwartet, dass er nicht lange gelebt hat. Ein Jahrhundert später soll Godelot die Meisterschaft über den Zauberstab erlangt haben. Godelot Bei Godelot wurde aufgezeichnet, er hätte die Meisterschaft des Stabs ungefähr ein Jahrhundert nach Egbert dem Ungeheuerlichen erhalten. Nachdem Godelot den Elderstab als Lehrer angesehen hatte, hatte er sein Wissen über die Kräfte des Zauberstabs genutzt, um Gar böse Zauberey zu schreiben, ein Buch, das Informationen über Schwarze Magie enthielt. Godelot starb in seinem eigenen Keller, nachdem er von seinem Sohn Hereward eingesperrt wurde, der dies tat, um den Besitz des Zauberstabs zu erlangen. Hereward Hereward war ein Zauberer, der den Elderstab meisterte, nachdem er seinen Vater, Godelot, getötet hatte. Dies gelang ihm, indem er ihn in seinem eigenen Keller einsperrte, um dort zu sterben, nachdem er den Zauberstab gestohlen hatte. Barnabas Deverill Barnabas Deverill war ein Zauberer, der den Elderstab im frühen achtzehnten Jahrhundert meisterte und ihn verwendete, um sich einen Ruf als furchterregender Hexenmeister zu erarbeiten, bis seine Herrschaft des Terrors beendet wurde von Loxias, der Barnabas ermordete und die Meisterschaft über den Zauberstab erlangte. Loxias Loxias war ein Zauberer, der Meister des Elderstabs wurde nach Barnabas Deverill. Loxias gab ihm den Namen "Todesstab" und benutzte ihn gegen jeden, der ihm missfiel. Es ist unbekannt, wer ihn getötet hat, da - laut Dumbledore - viele behaupteten, ihn erledigt zu haben, einschließlich seiner eigenen Mutter, aber aus Xenophilius Lovegoods Verständnis der Geschichte, schien es entweder Arcus oder Livius getan zu haben, da er glaubte, einer von ihnen sei der nächste Meister des Elderstabs. Arcus und/oder Livius Arcus und Livius waren Zauberer. Es wird diskutiert, wer von ihnen nach dem Tod von Loxias der Meister des Elderstabs wurde. Jüngste Geschichte Mykew Gregorowitsch thumb|150px|[[Mykew Gregorovitch.]] At some point many years ago before 1899, the wand eventually ended up in the possession of the wandmaker Mykew Gregorovitch. Upon realising that it was the most powerful wand in existence, Gregorovitch began experimenting to try and duplicate its powers. Gregorovitch, somewhat foolish by nature and hoping it would improve business, started a rumour about him possessing a wand and his efforts to replicate its properties. The result came one night between 1899-1945 when Gregorovitch heard someone breaking into his workshop. He promptly ran inside and saw a blond haired young man had taken the wand, an intruder who then promptly shot a Stunning Spell at Gregorovitch to acquire mastery of the wand, before leaping out the window. Gregorovitch never found out who stole the wand. Gellert Grindelwald .]] Gellert Grindelwald was considered to be one of the most powerful Dark Wizards of all time, second only to Lord Voldemort. He was schooled at Durmstrang Institute and later struck up a friendship with Albus Dumbledore, when he lived in Godric's Hollow for a summer with his great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot, following his expulsion from Durmstrang. The two made plans to find the Deathly Hallows and create a world in which Muggles would, of necessity, be subservient to wizards and witches, for the greater good. This partnership fell apart after the two were involved in a three-way duel with Aberforth Dumbledore that resulted in Ariana Dumbledore's death. Grindelwald delved into his research of the Deathly Hallows, and uncovered the location of the Elder Wand. Rumours had been circulating that the renowned wandsmith Gregorovitch had the wand and was trying to duplicate its properties. Grindelwald broke into the wandmaker's workshop, and succeeded in claiming ownership of the fabled wand by waiting until Gregorovitch came then casting a stunning spell on him, making himself the rightful owner instead. Over the years, Grindelwald raised an army and began a reign of terror that spread through several European countries and murdered many wizards and Muggles, though he never attempted to seize power in Britain, due to his fear of his former friend, Dumbledore, who was "a shade more skilful" than he was. During his reign, he built the Nurmengard prison to hold any objectors, and murdered countless European wizards, all the while continuing to claim everything he did was "for the greater good." which was the phrase he put on the entrance of Nurmengard. In 1945, at the height of his power, his onetime friend, Dumbledore, felt compelled to confront him, due to the public outcry, and defeated him in what became known as a legendary duel. Grindelwald was subsequently incarcerated in his own prison, Nurmengard, for decades. He was slain there by Lord Voldemort in 1998, when Voldemort was in search of the Elder Wand, which Grindelwald refused to divulge any information about, defying Voldemort, perhaps (as Dumbledore believed) as a final act of atonement for his own crimes. Albus Dumbledores Besitz and the Elder Wand.]] When Albus Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945 in their famous duel, mastery of the Elder Wand passed to him.Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Dumbledore also used his wand periodically to siphon his thoughts into his Pensieve, thus rehousing his thoughts in that device when he found his mind a bit too cluttered. During Harry's fifth year, Dumbledore used the wand to Stun Dolores Umbridge, Cornelius Fudge, John Dawlish, and Kingsley Shacklebolt as he made his escape when the Ministry tried to take him to Azkaban. In addition, Dumbledore arrived at the Department of Mysteries to aid the Order of the Phoenix in the battle against the Death Eaters. He engaged in a ferocious duel with the Dark Lord, in which he used his wand to enchant the statues from the Fountain of Magical Brethren to protect Harry. Dumbledore then was able to keep Voldemort at bay by cocooning him in a sphere of water from the fountain. During Harry's sixth year, Dumbledore and Harry set out to the cave where Dumbledore believed a Horcrux resided. When Harry dipped a goblet into the lake to provide water for Dumbledore (who was incredibly weak and thirsty after drinking the Drink of Despair to reach the Horcrux), all the Inferi that resided in the lake grabbed at Harry and attempted to drag him down and drown him in the lake. Dumbledore recovered enough to conjure a firestorm around them to ward of the Inferi. but remained very weak. When they returned to Hogsmeade, Madam Rosmerta informed them that the Dark Mark had been conjured over the Astronomy Tower. In the tower, Dumbledore enjoined Harry not to interfere in the events that were about to take place there, and, to ensure this, placed him in a Body-Bind Curse under his invisibility cloak. Hidden, Harry was unable to intervene as Dumbledore (now extremely weakened by the potion) was Disarmed by Draco Malfoy. The wand flew from Dumbledore's hands over the battlements, but was clearly found later, as it was put in Dumbledore's grave. Dumbledore was conversing with Draco about the plot to kill him, when several other Death Eaters entered the tower and tried to persuade Draco to finish his task, and Dumbledore. When Draco hesitated, Snape appeared and performed the Killing Curse on Dumbledore himself. Harry learned that, in order to save himself from a more agonising death and to prevent Draco from tarnishing his soul, Dumbledore had instructed Severus Snape to kill him and Snape had, most reluctantly, acquiesced. Unbeknownst to Snape, Dumbledore had also done this to ensure that when Snape killed him, Dumbledore would not be "defeated" (as they had agreed to it beforehand and Dumbledore was ready to accept death) and thus the powers of the Elder Wand would be nullified. However, all did not go according to Dumbledore's plan, because Dumbledore was disarmed and thus was defeated by Malfoy.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Without his knowledge, Malfoy thus became the next master of the Elder Wand. Lord Voldemorts Suche the Elder Wand's power after removing it from Dumbledore's tomb.]] During the summer of 1997, Voldemort held a meeting at Malfoy Manor with his Death Eaters, in which he revealed that, in order to defeat Harry, he would need to borrow another person's wand, because of the connection that his own wand shared with Harry's. He finally settled on Lucius Malfoy's wand, but that wand was destroyed by Harry's during the Battle of the Seven Potters. After this, a furious Voldemort tortured Garrick Ollivander into revealing more solutions to defeat Harry, eventually leading Voldemort to know of the Elder Wand's existence. Although originally desiring another wand only to defeat Potter, upon hearing the wand's legendary powers, he sought its mastery in order to not only to conquer Harry Potter, but also to secure his desire as the ultimate wizard in the world, which he believed would make him invincible. He devoted the latter half of 1997, and into the spring of 1998, into a relentless and murderous search for the Elder Wand. He traced the wand's recent history, killing both Gregorovitch and Grindelwald in the course of his search, and despite Grindelwald's efforts, Voldemort tracked the wand's ownership to Dumbledore. Voldemort broke into Dumbledore's grave and robbed it of the wand which had been buried with its previous master, thus taking possession of the Elder Wand. Voldemort’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and Harry could feel the curse coming, feel it building inside the wand pointed at his face. “The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy.” Despite this, Voldemort believed that the wand was not performing at the epic level that legend told, and so he ordered his snake Nagini to murder Snape, in order to ensure that the mastery of the Elder Wand would pass to him, since he believed Snape to be the wand's master for killing Dumbledore. However, as Harry Potter, who had been briefly seeking the wand as well, later deduced, its true master at the time of Dumbledore's death had been Draco Malfoy. Furthermore — and unbeknownst to Voldemort — as Harry had subsequently disarmed Draco and taken his wand during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor (although that was not itself the Elder Wand, it still marked the defeat of the wand's master), the Elder Wand's allegiance had since shifted to Harry. Harry Potters Besitz overpowers Draco Malfoy and masters the Elder Wand]] Nearly a year after Draco had unintentionally become the wand's master, Harry had taken Draco's wand by force during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, making him the new master of the Elder Wand. Late in the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter, who had learned that he had been accidentally made into Voldemort's Horcrux when he was a year old, walked into the Forbidden Forest to sacrifice himself to Lord Voldemort. Voldemort cast a Killing Curse on Harry using the Elder Wand. The wand seemingly in possession of the Elder Wand.]] worked because Harry intended to die at Voldemort's hand, much as Dumbledore had planned his death with Snape. Harry had entered a limbo state, portrayed as King's Cross Station, from which he could choose to return. When he did return, Voldemort cast the Cruciatus Curse on Harry's "dead" body but caused no pain. At this point, Harry realised that he was, in fact, the master of the Elder Wand. Only in his final encounter with Harry at the Battle of Hogwarts was Voldemort told that he had failed to win the true allegiance of the wand, as he did not gain ownership by defeating its previous owner. Despite this, Voldemort used the Elder Wand to cast his final Killing Curse against Harry's Disarming Charm. But because the wand's allegiance was to Harry, Voldemort's spell backfired and killed him, once and for all. Harrys Entscheidung with the Elder Wand after defeating Lord Voldemort.]]With Voldemort defeated, and Harry now the true master and possessor of the wand (and in fact all that remained of the Hallows, since he also had the cracked Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility), he used it to repair his damaged original wand of holly and phoenix feather, which he said he was "happier with". After the repair, Harry told Dumbledore's portrait that he would place the Elder Wand back in Dumbledore's tomb, and when Harry died a natural death, the wand's power would be broken as Dumbledore had intended. The portrait of Professor Dumbledore approved. Delphini After using a Time-Turner to go back to 31 October, 1981, the night of Lily and James Potter's murder by her father Tom Riddle, Delphini engaged in a duel with Harry Potter. During the duel she disarmed Harry, and later on, Hermione binded Delphini. It is unknown if these actions had any effect on the allegiance or ownership of the Elder Wand. Known masters of the Elder Wand *Antioch Peverell *Antioch Peverells Mörder *Emmerich der Böse *Egbert der Ungeheuerliche *Godelot *Hereward *Barnabas Deverill *Loxias *Arcus oder Livius (möglich) *Gregorowitsch *Gellert Grindelwald *Newt Scamander (possibly) If Grindelwald possesses the Elder Wand by this time, Newt restrains Grindelwald, in the form of Graves, which may have transferred the Elder Wand's allegiance *Porpentina Goldstein (possibly) If Grindelwald possesses the Elder Wand by this time, Tina uses Accio to take Graves' wand from Grindelwald, in the form of Graves, which may have transferred the Elder Wand's allegiance *Albus Dumbledore *Draco Malfoy *Harry Potter *Delphini (possibly) During their duel in the Church, Delphini disarms Harry of his wand, which may have transferred the Elder Wand's allegiance *Hermione Granger (possibly) During the duel in the Church, Hermione uses Brachiabindo to restrain Delphini, which may have transferred the Elder Wand's allegiance, although Ron, Ginny, Draco, and Hermione all helped subdue her previously. Power The Elder Wand was the most powerful wand in existence. Its owner could have used it to cast spells more powerful than any believed to be magically possible. For example, Harry Potter was able to repair his regular Phoenix feather wand using the Elder Wand in 1998, even though broken wands were held, by experts such as Garrick Ollivander, to be damaged beyond magical repair. However, there appears to be limitations, since Dumbledore was not able to cure petrified victims of Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk, nullify the curse on Marvolo Gaunt's ring, and neither was he able to overcome the enchantments upon Voldemort's Drink of Despair with the wand amplifying his own magic, suggesting that the wand can merely improve pre-existing spells rather than allow the user to perform the impossible. Although the wand was rumoured to be unbeatable, in Dumbledore's commentary on The Tale of The Three Brothers, in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, he commented that the Elder Wand, while being immensely powerful, had never been unbeatable, as it had been beaten hundreds of times. For it to pass to a new master, the wand must have been beaten, and as there had been many masters of the wand, it was obvious that it was possible to defeat the wielder of the Elder Wand. However, since the first story of the Elder Wand passing featured the Wand's master being killed while he was asleep rather than being defeated in a duel, duels may not be required to claim the wand. casting the Shield penetration spell with the Elder Wand, to breach Hogwarts protection]] While it is stated that a wand will not give up its master so easily if it is attempted to be won, The Elder Wand seems to do this time and time again. However this might not be referring to its willingness to give up its master, but rather to the amount of effort it took to defeat the wielder of the Wand. As the wand, like the eldest brother in the Tale, embodied the conceit that "Might is Right", greater power would, from its perspective, indicate superiority. Ron has noted that he would choose the wand of the three Hallows, but argued that he would do so while not proclaiming his ownership of it, reasoning that the wand was only dangerous to the first brother because he bragged about owning it rather than the wand being dangerous on its own. It appears that the Elder Wand is still somewhat more powerful than other wands, even when the user has not mastered it, as seen when it was in the hands of Lord Voldemort. However, Voldemort was a very powerful wizard even without special artefacts to aid him. It is unknown to what extent his power was boosted by the wand, but it is certain that he never unlocked its full power, because he was never the Wand's true master. Voldemort himself sensed, and was immensely frustrated by, this fact. Symbolism In the Deathly Hallows symbol, the Elder Wand is shown as the vertical line that goes right through the middle of the circle and the triangle; it represents the aspects of power and invincibility of the Hallows as a whole, the tent pole, as it were, of the entire edifice. Other elder wands While "The Elder Wand" (capitalised) refers to one of the Deathly Hallows, other wands have been made from elder wood. In general wizards seem to eschew elder wands, due at least in part to the sordid history of the Elder Wand itself, favouring wands made from various other woods, such as holly, willow, vine, and oak. Ron repeats an old wizarding saying, "Wand of elder, never prosper" after Hermione reads The Tale of the Three Brothers, to illustrate how wizarding lore may be passed from generation to generation. Behind the scenes *As shown on the cover picture of "The Tale of the Three Brothers", the book version of the Elder Wand only has two bumps, and at the bottom. It's also dark wood, and with no white or bumps. *Dumbledore's commentary on the Tale of the Three Brothers notes that all known Masters of the Elder Wand had been men. *The wand has been available to purchase on the Noble Collection website, contained in an Ollivanders Wand Shop box. This implies, incorrectly, that the wand was made and sold at the shop by Garrick Ollivander. (Though this could be due to the fact that the Noble wand was released before Dumbledore's wand was revealed to be the Elder Wand) *The film-makers designed Albus Dumbledore's wand for the films years before it was revealed to be the Elder Wand, or that the Elder Wand even existed. Fortunately, the wand they created happened to be unique among all the film series' wands, even bearing carvings which resemble clusters of elderberries running down its length. *Those to whom the Elder Wand isn't loyal can perform feats of magic equivalent to owning a regular wand. In the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort remarked about this to Severus Snape, and reasoned that, since he believed Snape to be the master of the Elder Wand, Voldemort would have to kill him to claim true mastery of it. The only thing that it has been shown that the Elder Wand can't do (or, rather, won't do) is harm its own master if it finds itself in the physical possession of another. Unfortunately for Voldemort, Draco Malfoy was the master of the wand, as he was the one who disarmed Dumbledore. *At the end of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Elder Wand is seen lying on the headmaster's desk, instead of being buried in the White Tomb. This scene must take place before Dumbledore's burial (which isn't seen on film), given that in the next film adaptation, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the wand is buried with its former master. *In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Albus Dumbledore claimed he would make it easy for Draco Malfoy and allowed Malfoy to disarm him, though he could have defended himself. Therefore it seems as though he wanted Malfoy to have the Wand; however it should be noted that the Elder Wand was said to only switch allegiance if it was removed from its master against his will. However it's possible that Dumbledore truly hadn't expected Draco to attack him, even if only to disarm him, and was therefore genuinely caught off guard. Also, because he was in a very weak and slow state from drinking the Potion, it's likely that he was just too slow and weak to defend himself. *If Dumbledore had managed to keep his wand and not be disarmed by Draco Malfoy, then he would have presumably been disarmed by one of the Death Eaters before Snape came, if they saw him. However they didn't attack him directly, as they knew that Draco needed to kill him, so it's possible that Dumbledore could have kept his wand. It's unknown how Severus Snape would have reacted if he had seen Dumbledore with the wand, but most likely, given the ravaging effects of the curse which Dumbledore was already suffering, he would have killed him anyway. *It's unknown what would have happened to the Elder Wand if Dumbledore had been killed by the Inferi in the Horcrux Cave. It might be that its loyalty would have passed to their master, as Voldemort seemed to believe would be the case when he instructed Nagini to kill Snape. *Albus Dumbledore (with the exception of Egbert the Egregious) is the only known wizard to have defeated a Master of the Elder Wand (Gellert Grindelwald) in a wizarding duel. Other Masters of the Elder Wand obtained mastery through deceit, stealth (as when Grindelwald stole it from Gregorovitch), foul play (the murder of Antioch Peverell in his sleep), happenstance (as when Draco Malfoy disarmed Albus Dumbledore, who was concurrently casting a Full Body-Bind Curse on Harry Potter) or beating the current master while he doesn't physically possess the wand (as in Harry Potter's disarming of Draco Malfoy). This is another testament to Dumbledore's innate magical skills, which he references to Harry when the latter is in limbo by admitting that although both he and Grindelwald were evenly matched in magic, he was a shade more skillful. The Elder Wand, therefore, bears a certain resemblance to the One Ring in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", as an instigator of murder and mayhem. *In the film adaptation for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 and 2, it seems that the Elder Wand has a much darker colour; this may be a change the film makers employed to make the wand fit better with Voldemort's "dark and evil" personality. *The curse that killed Lord Voldemort came from the Elder Wand. As Voldemort thought that Snape was the Master, Voldemort killed him. Draco, however, was the true Master, as he had disarmed Dumbledore, and then Harry disarmed Draco. So, when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the Wand wouldn't harm its master, and so turned the spell back on Voldemort. Although this does make one wonder why it didn't backfire on Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, as Harry was already the Master of the Elder Wand by then. Perhaps it was because Nagini, a Horcrux, was still alive, or it may have been because Harry intended to die, much as Dumbledore did when facing Snape in the Astronomy Tower. Alternatively, it may have been that, since Harry didn't fight back, he couldn't be defeated. Alternatively, it's possible that the curse did indeed backfire because it destroyed the piece of Voldemorts soul that was in Harry's forehead. *Though Harry hoped to break the power of the wand by dying a natural death, he would need to do so without ever being defeated, even by simply being disarmed. Unless the aggressor knew that Harry was the Elder Wand's master, and was attempting to defeat him in order to become master of the wand (in which case, Harry would simply need to allow himself to be defeated intentionally to retain mastery) then it's unlikely the victor would ever know to take control of the Wand, so its mastery would become increasingly difficult to trace if they were defeated in turn, and the probability of their dying a natural death while undefeated would become more and more likely. Further, so long as Harry succeeded in subsequently defeating anyone who defeated him, the allegiance of the wand would return to Harry. *The Noble Collection wand is also not painted correctly. On the movie prop, The shaft is goldish bronze and the knobs are black, but the Noble wand is all black. *In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, when Voldemort tries to unleash the Elder Wand's capabilities upon the shield surrounding Hogwarts, he seems to feel a slight pain in his arm carrying the wand, similar to the effects of the Horcrux being destroyed. The wand as well cracks under the strain. *In Part 2 of the film adaptation, Harry simply breaks the Elder Wand and throws it away as opposed to the seventh book where he repairs his holly wand. This is justified as the wand won't fall into the wrong hands. *When asked which of the Deathly Hallows they preferred, Hermione Granger chose the Cloak of Invisibility, while Ron chose the Elder Wand, and Harry chose the Resurrection Stone.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows *It's mentioned in Dumbledore's (not entirely honest) commentary that rumours of an unbeatable wand are preposterous. For example, Grindelwald had mastered the "unbeatable" Deathstick, and yet was still defeated by Dumbledore in 1945. However, it's more probable that only one who has mastered the wand by becoming a Master of Death (which is required to truly unlock the Wand's full power) will be unbeatable with it. This is supported by the fact that, although (fifty-one years later) Dumbledore didn't defeat Lord Voldemort in their duel at the Ministry of Magic due to the latter's use of Horcruxes, but ended up fighting him to a stalemate, this is only because he fled. Indeed, it appears that Dumbledore would have won had the fight continued (hence Voldemort fleeing).Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix *The Elder Wand is now also available to buy at the 'Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour' in London, where it's known as Professor Dumbledore's Wand. Author's comments J. K. Rowling has discussed how the Elder Wand behaves slightly different from other wands in its loyalty: :"The Elder Wand is simply the most ruthless of wands in that it will only take into consideration strength. One would expect a certain amount of loyalty from one's wand. So even if you were disarmed while carrying it, even if you lost a fight while carrying it, it has developed an affinity with you that it won't give up easily. If, however, a wand is won, properly won in an adult duel, then a wand ''may switch allegiance ... However, the Elder Wand knows no loyalty except to strength. It's completely unsentimental. It will only go where the power is. So if you win, then you've won the wand. You don't need to kill with it. But ... almost inevitably, it attracts wizards who are prepared to kill and who will kill. And also it attracts wizards like Voldemort who confuse being prepared to murder with strength."24 December 2007 PotterCast Interviews with J.K. Rowling Siehe auch *Familie Peverell *Heiligtümer des Todes *Unsichtbarkeitsumhang *Stein der Auferstehung *Das Märchen von den drei Brüdern Auftritte thumb|250px|The Elder Wand is one of the [[Deathly Hallows, represented here by the vertical line.]] *Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen'' *''Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen (Videospiel)'' *''Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens'' *''Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban'' *''Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch'' *''Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch (Film)'' *''Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix'' *''Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix (Film)'' *''Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix (Videospiel)'' *''Harry Potter und der Halbblutprinz'' *''Harry Potter und der Halbblutprinz (Film)'' *''Harry Potter und die Heiligtümer des Todes'' *''Harry Potter und die Heiligtümer des Todes (Film 1)'' *''Harry Potter und die Heiligtümer des Todes (Videospiel 1) *''Harry Potter und die Heiligtümer des Todes (Film 2)'' *''Harry Potter und die Heiligtümer des Todes (Videospiel 2)'' *''Harry Potter Sammelkartenspiel'' *''Die Märchen von Beedle dem Barden'' *''Harry Potter: Das magische POP-UP-Buch'' *''LEGO Harry Potter: Jahre 1 - 4'' *''LEGO Harry Potter: Jahre 5 - 7'' Anmerkungen und Quellen en:Elder Wand es:Varita de Saúco fi:Seljasauva fr:Baguette de Sureau pl:Czarna różdżka ru:Старшая палочка